Baseless media reports condemned

Security has been strengthened in the Yala National Park and its environs following isolated terrorist activities in the recent past and media reports which said that the area is unsafe, are totally false and misleading.

The Government vehemently condemned these false reports published by certain sections of the media for the sake of mere news value, said Lakshman Hulugalle, Director General of the Media Centre for National Security in a press release issued yesterday.

At a time when the humanitarian operations in the North are reaching the last phase of its successful completion the Government and the Security Forces mindful of national security have implemented a systematic program to enhance security in the above areas.

As such certain sections of the media by publishing such baseless stories were only trying to create tension among the public, the release said.

The release said Media Institutions had a vital role to play in acting in a responsible manner at a juncture when the struggle to defeat terrorism had reached a decisive stage. As such the Government requests all media institutions to desist from publishing wrong and baseless reports which would inconvenience the innocent public.